Wikileaks Confirms: CIA Are Conducting Operations on U.S. Soil

Looks like WikiLeaks has done the public yet another favour – showing how the CIA has become a political organization. What used to be a red line, has now become a faint pink one.

According to its own website, the CIA are prohibited from conduct spying operations on US soil:

“By law, the CIA is specifically prohibited from collecting foreign intelligence concerning the domestic activities of US citizens. Its mission is to collect information related to foreign intelligence and foreign counterintelligence. By direction of the president in Executive Order 12333 of 1981 and in accordance with procedures approved by the Attorney General, the CIA is restricted in the collection of intelligence information directed against US citizens…”

If asked, the director would likely tell us that it’s now completely necessary to operate in the US – because of the “terrorist threat”.

Whatever you believe, the recent hack and subsequent document dump by Wikileaks this week has confirmed what many of us already suspected for decades…

WikiLeaks is at it again, this time releasing the contents of CIA Director John Brennan’s personal email account after it was allegedly hacked by a teenager. The documents address multiple issues, including torture, relations with Iran, and more.

A group calling itself only “Crackas With Attitude” claimed responsibility for the hack, which it allegedly carried out as a form of protest against US foreign policy. But while little is known about the hackers, a lot was revealed about Brennan. Here are the key things that became public when WikiLeaks published the documents…

.Now it’s personal

The first document WikiLeaks published is Brennan’s Draft SF86 form, which asks for a variety of personal information and is required for individuals to obtain national security clearances. The document lists Brennan’s passport number, phone number, and home address, along with details such as his weight and height. It shows that Brennan answered affirmatively when asked if he had ever “consulted with a mental health professional,” though it does not detail why.

One of the more interesting leaked documents is titled “The Conundrum of Iran,” which only looks partially completed, but nonetheless lays out Brennan’s views on the Middle Eastern nation at a time before he joined the Obama administration. He highlights the 1953 CIA-organized coup against Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh as an example of Iran being made “a pawn of global politics.” He also called President Bush’s inclusion of Iran in a so-called axis of evil “gratuitous.”

Brennan also highlighted “Iran’s positive engagement in helping repair the post-Taliban political environment in Afhganistan,” though he said this had been unappreciated by the Bush administration.

He added that Iran would become “a major player on the world stage” and an important piece in terms of regional stability. Brennan said the US should “tone down the rhetoric” against the country and establish a “direct dialogue” with Tehran.

During his time in the private sector, Brennan established an intelligence firm called The Analysis Corporation (TAC) that competed for government contracts, including one related to terrorist watch lists. However, things didn’t turn out so rosy for Brennan’s company when the CIA snubbed its proposal for the project, calling it a risky investment.

US government ‘engaged’ in spying activities on US soil

A 2007 draft position paper on the role of the intelligence community in the wake of the 9/11 attacks shows that Brennan was already aware that numerous federal agencies – the FBI, CIA, NSA, Defense Department and Homeland Security – “are all engaged in intelligence activities on US soil.” He said these activities “must be consistent with our laws and reflect the democratic principles and values of our Nation.”

Brennan added that the president and Congress need “clear mandates” and “firm criteria” to determine what limits need to be placed on domestic intelligence operations.